Little Things Make Us Happy

Rested

It is Saturday morning and I am tired. Once again, I can smell the fear of fatigue.

Why oh why must small children alight early from their beds on a Saturday morning? Five thirty am! Such needless action resulting in grumpiness and bad humour. Irrationality becomes family member number five and no one invited him.

We have had much worse nights. A three thirty wake up or the two hour chat that must take place in the middle of the night. Today, it was just an early start. Definitely not the worst. It still feels like proper rest was just within my grasp only to be ripped away at the last minute. I feel robbed.

Recently I overheard someone tell their partner that children are high maintenance. My own little dears were looking for ten things instantly at that exact point and I know for sure that we were the reason the statement was made.

I am not insulted. It is a fact.

Yes. They are high maintenance.

An early morning once in a while is manageable. Wander about, get jobs done and fall on the couch if you need a rest.

That is not possible with the miniscule house managers.

They need things. Right now this minute they are both calling to me do things. Both requests/demands are minor but must be immediately carried out. Instantly like bad mash.

You see, they are high maintenance because the needs are constant and never ending. You get up at half five and you do not stop. You know the minute you hear the dinky little feet patter, hear the shrill squeal pierce the impossible darkness, that rest is over for another sixteen hours or so.

It was much worse when they are babies if they do not sleep- Betsy was a terrible sleeper- as you have no knowledge of when true bedtime will happen. That utter powerlessness of perennial exhaustion and no sight of consistency I do not miss. We are not there now. I think. Looking back, it is miraculous that ordinary life took place at all during that time.

This is not as bad. Maybe the terror of regression adds to the threat when it does happen?

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48 thoughts on “Rested”

Oh no!! I feel you on this – except instead of babies waking me up it’s my own body that decides it needs to check the time on the clock just in case I’ve overslept and then it won’t go back to sleep. There are these cute little clocks with coloured sections for kids – if the hand is in the red/yellow it’s WAY too early to be out of bed, but if it’s in the green they can leave their rooms. Have you tried one of those? It should help with self-regulation and give you the nice sleep in that you need.

I was looking into those clocks for the eldest girl. I think it might be the way to go!
I can remember the fear of oversleeping that causes insomnia. Very frustrating. You want to sleep yet you just cannot until the last minute and then the alarm goes😣

I sympathise! My body has decided not to get up because of the pitter patter of human feet (my four are now old enough thank goodness) but the patter of four little paws multiplied by four to match my sprogs! The wake up calls are as early as five but the vast difference is I don’t have to worry about nappy changes. Instead, I have an overflowing cat box to deal with! Aren’t we lucky to have these beautiful moments in our lives? Hehe, sending coffee on tap.

I hear you! With four daughters (oldest 8 years old, youngest 9 months old) I am so deprived of sleep that I could fall asleep standing!!! I wonder how could you write so well even even after such an early wake up !

You have my sincerest sympathies, from someone who most emphatically appreciates the luxury of getting out of bed on my own terms, not someone else’s. Looking back, we were blessed that both of ours quickly fell into a regular sleep pattern – 7 to 7. But the sleeplessness of the early months still lingers in my mind even years on.

Ahhhh memories …after the early mornings come?? I will let you discover that…lol..Here schools start really early 7 am ( my grandson ) lives with me…At the weekend he stays put pleased he doesn’t have to do the 5.30 am cold shower and so am I…Lol

Ha ha, I so so love love my kids.. yours sound great! Our son had daddy up at about 4.30am yesterday. He was hungry and then wanted company..whilst eating my breakfast this morning my daughter has insisted that I climb into the airing cupboard for her penguin socks. She could not want till I was finished. Today we have a birthday party to go to and my son still needs to do his homework about the River Nile… the fun never ends…

I hear ya! I do not miss those sleepless times at all. Do you remember before having kids, we used go to bed when we wanted & got up when we wanted and all we had to do inbetween was just lie in bed? It’s a glorious thought, isn’t it?

Orla, though I can’t relate to being woken up by little people I can relate to being tired! Oh yes, I do have distant memories of staying with siblings when their children were small, and they too looked tired each morning 🙂

Oh, I feel your pain! My little darlings are old enough to sleep in for longer, but they are still just as demanding (if not more so) than when they were toddlers. And don’t even get me started on the dog, who drags me out of bed in the middle of the night when he needs the toilet, and never disturbs his daddy!